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1,330 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDHigher Education ReformI understand my noble friend’s point about young people, particularly those from less well-off backgrounds, being worried about their student debt. We all, therefore, have a…05 Nov 2024HANSARDHigher Education ReformThe noble Lord is right in his demand and his expectation that universities need to improve the information that they provide for students about the course and about potential…05 Nov 2024HANSARDHigher Education ReformYesterday’s Statement was less about freedom of speech than about the funding of universities but, to reiterate the point I made when we covered this issue previously, I and the…05 Nov 2024HANSARDHigher Education ReformI have it on good authority that the University of Huddersfield has a very good reputation for its work to provide access and opportunity for students, and it should be…05 Nov 2024HANSARDEducation: Early Years Attainment GapWith respect to services delivering healthcare, my noble and honourable friends in the Department of Health and Social Care are considering the implications and will bring them…05 Nov 2024HANSARDEducation: Early Years Attainment GapMy noble friend makes a very important point. On the entitlements, we are delivering the programme and the plans set out by the previous Government, but there are also provisions…05 Nov 2024HANSARDEducation: Early Years Attainment GapWe have increased the rates this year, but we will be looking at the implications of national insurance contributions for the early years sector.05 Nov 2024HANSARDEducation: Early Years Attainment GapThe noble Lord is right. The first years of a child’s life, where they depend on their parents, are fundamental. Supporting parents to be able to take on that job—he is quite…05 Nov 2024HANSARDEducation: Early Years Attainment GapMy noble friend is right. We have already seen a halving in the number of childminders over recent years. Childminders play an important role for those parents who choose to use…05 Nov 2024HANSARDSex and Gender: Official DataThe reason why it is so important that we allow the independent statistical services to develop the question appropriately is precisely that it will be used more widely in other…05 Nov 2024HANSARDSex and Gender: Official DataThis is my first opportunity to answer a Question on this issue in this House, but I certainly take the noble Baroness’s point that it is important that we have accurate and…05 Nov 2024HANSARDSex and Gender: Official DataI should point out that the most recent census was the first time this question was asked, and it is important that a range of questions is asked in the census, on a voluntary…05 Nov 2024HANSARDSex and Gender: Official DataMy noble friend is absolutely right. It is important that academics and researchers can do their work. It is important that government statistics are determined and regulated…05 Nov 2024HANSARDSex and Gender: Official DataI am not sure that waiting times in the NHS are part of the census, but I take the noble Baroness’s point, nevertheless. Although, as I have emphasised, the development of…05 Nov 2024HANSARDUnregistered Children’s Homes: FeesThe noble Baroness is right that some extraordinary amounts of money are being charged by placement providers. The Local Government Association found, for example, that in…28 Oct 2024HANSARDUnregistered Children’s Homes: FeesMy Lords, profiteering from vulnerable children in care is unacceptable. Children must live in safe, high-quality homes, which is why it is a legal requirement for children’s…28 Oct 2024HANSARDUnregistered Children’s Homes: FeesThe noble Lord is right, in that in the children’s home market, 83% of provision is now private. To be clear, there is high-quality private children’s home provision, just as…28 Oct 2024HANSARDUnregistered Children’s Homes: FeesMy noble friend is absolutely right. Because of the disproportionate costs being placed on local authorities and the findings that Ofsted sometimes makes in unregulated homes, if…28 Oct 2024HANSARDUnregistered Children’s Homes: FeesThe noble Lord is right. Across a whole range of measures, care leavers do worse than those who have not been in care. Whether or not they end up in prison, they are more likely…28 Oct 2024HANSARDUnregistered Children’s Homes: FeesThe noble Lord is right that the leadership of these homes is very important in ensuring that they are providing the quality of care we want to see. In thinking about the…28 Oct 2024